Pairing great food with seasonal spirits!

Fried Zucchini Chips & Belgium White

After all of the heat and humidity, I wanted something simple for this week. So I decided to try frying up some zucchini to pair with my yummy Belgium White beer. I added a little spicy mayo on the side and watched as the storm clouds rolled in. Hopefully the cool weather comes back soon (but not too cool).

The Beer:

I’m on a citrus kick right now with my beers and a Belgium White is a good choice to continue that trend. With it being so hot outside where I am right now, a little citrus helps cool me down (well, in my mind it does at least). The Belgian Wing looks good and the bottle mentions that it was brewed with orange peel and coriander. This should be perfect for my hot summer day.

Style: Belgian style wheat ale with 4.7% alc. per vol.

Aroma: Oranges and beer (no I’m not kidding)

Color: A beautiful dark wheat color

Taste: It’s mild with a well balanced citrus undertone.

Level of Recommendation: It really is good for a hot and humid day. This beer isn’t heavy and I really liked drinking it during the thunderstorms that were rolling through.

The Food:

Fried food is a new challenge for me. I’ve been doing some experiments with tofu, but I’m not confident enough to share any of my recipes yet. However I really wanted something fried this week and zucchini is all over my local farmer’s market right now.

What you’ll need:

Zucchini

Panko

Eggs

Canola oil

Salt and pepper (optional)

Chop up your zucchini into thin circles (about a fourth of an inch). Crack an egg into a bowl and scramble. Place panko into a separate bowl and add salt and pepper if desired.

Place enough oil in your pan so that it covers the entire bottom of the pan. Turn on the stove and let the oil heat up.

Dunk the zucchini circles in the egg and then bread in the panko. Place in the heated oil. The zucchini should start to sizzle when it hits the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Flip the zucchini chips after a couple of minutes in the oil so that each side gets evenly cooked. The fried side should be a nice golden brown color. Remove zucchini from the oil and let it sit on paper towels to remove any access oil.

Serve with spicy mayo (mayonnaise mixed with just a hint of sriracha).

The Pairing:

I love fried food with beer. They just seem to go together. Though the zucchini is fried, it’s not super heavy which matches the body of the beer. Adding in a little spicy mayo helps to smooth out all of the flavors. There’s a little extra sweetness to the beer when paired with the fried zucchini and spicy mayo. If I could have made any adjustments it would have been to add a little more salt and pepper (which I didn’t add, but included in the recipe).

Level of Recommendation: When you want something fried, but not too heavy go with this pairing.